


and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that)

by daisylincs



Series: How Far I'll Go [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of SHIELD Anniversary 💜, Canon Compliant, Episode Tag: s07e13 What We're Fighting For, F/M, Introspection, Movie Night, Nostalgia, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Love, bus kids bonding, missing moment, reflections, set post-the battle with the Chronicoms but pre-the One Year Later outro, the bus kids, with some Daisy & Alya on the side because I LOVE THAT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisylincs/pseuds/daisylincs
Summary: When she turned around, Fitz and Jemma were waiting for her, matching warm smiles on their faces."Hey, guys," she said, offering them a quick smile in return. "What's up?""Nothing much," Jemma said, her eyes crinkling with smile lines. "Fitz and I were just thinking.""Do you remember how we used to do those movie nights on the Bus all those years ago?" Fitz asked. "Where we'd all pile onto one bunk and sing along until we fell asleep on each other's shoulders?"Daisy smiled wistfully. "Of course I remember.""Well," Jemma said, exchanging a quick glance with Fitz before turning back to Daisy, smiling, "we'd like to do something like that again."
Relationships: Alya Fitz & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: How Far I'll Go [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998922
Comments: 32
Kudos: 79





	and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I don’t know how many of you guys are aware of this fact, but… today is the seven-year anniversary of the pilot of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD airing. Seven years today, the characters we’ve grown to love so much and so deeply graced our screens for the first day.
> 
> And, look, I’m not one of the most OG people in the fandom, by _any_ definition - I only started watching during lockdown, after all. But the thing is, this show has come to mean _so much_ to me - it was my coping method through the trying months of COVID, something I could pour myself into and love with my whole heart.
> 
> I might not truly have been here for all of those seven years, but it _feels_ like I have. This show feels like a part of me that’s incredibly close to my heart, something I know I can always come back to and love.
> 
> So on this exceptionally special day, I wanted to write something to honour that - a tribute, from the bottom of my heart, to Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. Thank you for seven _incredible_ seasons. 💜
> 
> _(Title from "Young" by Kenny Chesney.)_

Daisy's steps were soft against the stone floor of the Lighthouse as she tiptoed out of Alya's makeshift bedroom, lingering in the doorway for just a second to watch the little girl sleep. 

Part of her still couldn't believe it, couldn't believe _Alya_ \- couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her best friends, her Fitz and Jemma, had made this tiny, beautiful human. Fitz and Jemma, who used to squash onto one of the tiny bunks on the Bus to watch Disney movies with her, all of them singing along horribly off-key, had a baby. A _daughter._

And she was beautiful, and smart, and precious; and her smile was like a ray of sunshine in the dull grey of the Lighthouse. She had been so shy to meet them all at first, peeking cautiously around Jemma's legs and ducking her head away whenever any of them looked at her for too long. 

But she had known them all nonetheless, known all their names without anyone having to tell them to her. What struck Daisy even more was that she could match all their faces to the right names. 

Fitz and Jemma must have shown her pictures of the team - and told her stories.

As the day had worn on, Alya had grown a little bolder, obviously picking up on how comfortable her parents were with all these people. And eventually she had come right up to Daisy and asked, her voice tentative and shy but full of bright curiosity, "Auntie Daisy, is it true that you can make things move without touching them?" 

Once Daisy had recovered from the heart-melting feeling of being called _Auntie Daisy,_ she had asked the little girl to put down the stuffed monkey she was carrying, and gently quaked it across the room. 

Alya had chased after it, shrieking with laughter, and when she caught it, she rushed up to Daisy, her blue eyes shining as she tugged on Daisy's hand. "Again, again!"

Daisy had obliged her immediately, unable to keep the smile from her lips as the little girl chased after the stuffed monkey, her happy shouts filling the Lighthouse with more joy than its grey hallways had ever held before. 

But for Daisy, the best part of the evening had been when Alya, exhausted after a full hour of chasing her monkey across the entirety of the Lighthouse, had climbed right into Daisy's lap, all shyness forgotten, and promptly fallen asleep. 

"Would you like to take her to bed?" Jemma had asked, her gaze soft as she watched the two of them. 

Daisy had brushed a soft blond curl tenderly behind the little girl's ear, silently marveling at how perfect she was. "I'd love that," she said, feeling something in her heart clench when Alya gave a small smile in her sleep. 

"Come on, little one," she had murmured, shifting Alya as gently as she could into her arms so that she could stand up. 

Alya had barely noticed, just burrowing her head a little further into Daisy's jacket. 

She had carried her like that all the way through the Lighthouse and to the little bunk Fitz and Jemma had prepared for her, right next door to their own room. 

And now here she was, lingering in the doorway as she listened to the little girl's slow, quiet breaths. 

_Alya._

Her best friends' daughter. Her niece _._ The newest star in her sky. 

Smiling affectionately to herself at the thought, she pulled the door shut with a soft _click._

And when she turned around, Fitz and Jemma were waiting for her, matching warm smiles on their faces. 

"Hey, guys," she said, offering them a quick smile in return. "What's up?" 

"Nothing much," Jemma said, her eyes crinkling with smile lines. "Fitz and I were just thinking." 

"Do you remember how we used to do those movie nights on the Bus all those years ago?" Fitz asked. "Where we'd all pile onto one bunk and sing along until we fell asleep on each other's shoulders?" 

Daisy smiled wistfully. "Of course I remember." 

"Well," Jemma said, exchanging a quick glance with Fitz before turning back to Daisy, smiling, "we'd like to do something like that again." 

Daisy's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" she said. 

Fitz smiled too, his blue eyes, the exact same colour as Alya's, full of affection as he looked across at her. "You heard us," he said. 

When Daisy continued to gape at them, dumbfounded, Jemma rolled her eyes fondly. "Come on, Daisy," she said. "We've all been through hell these last few days - I mean, you _literally_ died yesterday." 

"We deserve to take a break," Fitz finished, his eyes soft and warm; encouraging. 

Daisy looked at them both, her heart melting. "You guys would really want to do that, after all these years?" 

Fitz snorted, his gaze full of pure affection as he looked at her. "Of course we want to," he said roundly. 

"We've already set up the laptop and the bunk," Jemma added, her eyes sparkling. 

Daisy chuckled, but her eyes were suspiciously moist as she followed the two of them into the room next to Alya's. 

As soon as she stepped through the door and looked around, a flood of nostalgia bubbled up in her chest. 

It wasn't quite the Bus, but the bunk looked almost the same - tucked against the wall and non-descript, and definitely too small for three people. 

She had to smile when she saw that they had somehow managed to find her same old laptop from nearly seven years ago. It was a little older and a lot more battered, but it still worked. 

They had even put a bowl of popcorn on the bed, drizzled with that ridiculous fruit chutney salt that had been the only flavouring they had had on the Bus. 

Daisy turned to Fitz and Jemma with a huge lump in her throat. "You guys…" 

They smiled at her, soft and warm, and perfectly in sync as always. 

"We know," Fitz said softly. 

"Come on," Jemma said gently, nudging Daisy's arm lightly on the way past. "Let's watch the movie." 

Daisy joined them on the tiny cot, the three of them somehow managing to squeeze themselves onto its tiny frame - and, yup, it definitely felt like old times now. 

She shook her head fondly when she saw what movie they had chosen - Moana. 

It had always been their favourite, and they had gotten in trouble with May on numerous occasions for keeping the whole Bus awake with their singing. 

She could almost _see_ it, see the three of them squished onto her bunk and laughing themselves into hysterics before falling asleep on top of each other, just like that.

How long had it been since any of them had done anything like that?

She turned her head to look at her two friends, aware that this was probably breaking some kind of movie night rule, and that she should definitely be watching the opening scene with cute baby Moana and the ocean. 

But she didn't try to pull her gaze away from them. Fitz was sitting with his arms wrapped loosely around Jemma, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder, and they really were the picture of domestic bliss together. 

Fitz squinted at her with one eye, and for a second she thought he was going to complain about her staring at them - but then he caught her wrist, pulling her gently but firmly into the embrace. 

Jemma shifted so that her head was resting on Daisy's shoulder, and Fitz slung his arm casually around them both, the gesture so relaxed and comfortable that it was making her head spin. 

Feeling the warmth of their bodies on either side of her, Daisy felt as though all the time had melted away. They were those kids again, laughing and piled up together, humming along to the opening song.

At times like this, she could barely believe that it had really been _seven years,_ that _that much_ time had passed. She didn’t feel like it could have been that long, like they really could have grown and changed that much.

But at other times, it was almost painfully clear that the time _had_ passed. 

The sweet little girl she had been playing with until an hour ago, after all, was living proof of just how much things had changed. 

Fitz and Jemma weren’t two dorky kids anymore - they _had_ a kid. And Daisy… well, she was a superhero, if she did say it herself.

It was almost impossible to look at them and see the same people.

_But -_

Fitz shifted so he could reach the bowl of popcorn, offering it to the two of them. Jemma took a handful, and thanked him with a quick peck on the cheek, passing the bowl to Daisy with a soft smile. 

_But._

The thing was, no matter how much they had changed over these seven years, there was still a part of them that was the same. 

Daisy balanced her popcorn precariously on her lap, keeping one hand protectively around it as she settled back against Fitz's chest, her head just-just resting on Jemma's shoulder.

No matter what crazy crap their lives decided to throw at them, no matter how much they all changed, there was a part of them that would _stay_ the same - the part that was the bond between them. 

Jemma stifled a yawn, and Fitz pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, causing a sleepy smile to flicker across her lips. 

Daisy reached under the covers, finding Jemma's hand and tangling her fingers with her friend's, leaning back against Fitz's shoulder and closing her eyes, a soft smile tugging at her lips. 

The bond between them would _stay_ regardless of how much any of them changed, regardless of distance, of space, of time. 

Because if there was one thing they had well and truly proved over the years, it was that: the bond between them would remain strong despite it all. 

_Always._


End file.
